KERI Foundation

What KERI Foundation does

KERI Foundation is a Utah-registered not-for-profit L3C that stewards the KERI Suite, an open-source (Apache 2.0) stack of protocols for decentralized, self-certifying digital identity. Its core technology is the Key Event Receipt Infrastructure (KERI) protocol — which uses cryptographic self-certifying identifiers and hash-chained Key Event Logs to enable ambient verifiability without any central authority or ledger lock-in — together with the ACDC (credentialing) and CESR (encoding) specifications ratified by the Trust over IP Steering Committee on January 21, 2026. The foundation maintains reference implementations in Python and TypeScript (KERIpy, SignifyPy, KERIA, Signify-TS, Cesride), browser and web tools (signify-browser-extension, polaris-web), and a "5W's" reference architecture (Wallet, Witness, Watcher, Web, Wizard) targeting "1-click KERI" deployment.

The foundation is led by Dr. Samuel M. Smith (KERI's inventor, holding a BDFL Technical Manager role with veto rights), Henk van Cann (Chairman, who seeded the foundation via Blockchainbird with a US$100,000 donation), and Karla McKenna (Advisory Lead, concurrently Managing Director of GLEIF Americas). It serves financial services (GLEIF's vLEI on ISO 17442), blockchain/Web3 (Cardano Foundation), healthcare, government, and IoT adopters, with an ecosystem of 15+ named implementation partners.

Its revenue model is donations and tiered sponsorships — Committer ($0), Associate ($10K–$99,999), Sponsoring ($100K–$249,999), and Strategic ($250K+, with a board seat) — supplemented by directed project funding and a planned "Works with KERI Suite" certification program. No product licensing revenue exists; the foundation operates on a "proof of work, not proof of stake" principle that explicitly bars financial contributions from buying technical governance.

Name

KERI Foundation

Legal name

KERI Foundation (Utah-registered L3C, multi-member manager-managed)

Website

https://keri.foundation

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Short description

KERI Foundation is a Utah-registered not-for-profit L3C that stewards the KERI Suite — open-source Apache 2.0 protocols (KERI, ACDC, CESR) for decentralized, self-certifying digital identity. It funds and maintains reference implementations and tooling used by financial services, blockchain, healthcare, government, and IoT adopters worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Decentralized Identity Infrastructure

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

akta.pro primary industry

Decentralized Identity & Verifiable Credentials for Finance (DID/KYC Reuse) (FSAGAMAE)

Keywords

• Decentralized identity
• Verifiable credentials
• Self-sovereign identity
• Open-source protocols
• Digital trust infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Salt Lake City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorships: Not-for-profit foundation funded by tiered donorship: Committer ($0), Associate ($10K–$99,999), Sponsoring ($100K–$249,999), Strategic ($250K+). Sponsors can partly direct funding to specific projects; donations are generally not refundable after donor contract signing.
2. Project-Based / Directed Funding: Donors can designate or define their own KERI-related projects (solo or collaborative), with foundation oversight. Targeted at the 5W's development (Wallet, Witness, Watcher, Web, Wizard) and 1-click KERI deployment tooling.
3. Certification and Code-Use Revenue (planned): Foundation certifies implementations; non-certified or forked code is labeled as a separate company (not a foundation affiliate). A 'Works with KERI Suite' badge program exists. No direct royalty or licensing revenue — Apache 2.0 code remains free.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The KERI Foundation stewards and develops the KERI Suite, an Apache 2.0 open-source stack of protocols (KERI, ACDC, CESR) and Python/TypeScript reference libraries for decentralized, self-certifying digital identity. It funds, maintains, and governs the open-source ecosystem, runs the KERICONF conference series, and operates a tiered sponsorship and certification program ("Works with KERI Suite" badge) for implementers. The foundation is a Utah-registered not-for-profit L3C co-founded by Dr. Samuel M. Smith (KERI inventor) and Henk van Cann.

Product overview

KERI Foundation stewards a single unified open-source ecosystem — the KERI Suite — a platform-plus-modules architecture composed of three ratified core specifications (KERI, ACDC, CESR) and the "did:webs" DID method, supported by a portfolio of core libraries (KERIpy, SignifyPy, KERIA, Signify-TS, Cesride), user-facing tools (signify-browser-extension, polaris-web), educational resources (Kerific, kerisse, keridoc), and a flagship ecosystem deployment (GLEIF's vLEI). The Foundation also runs the KERICONF event series. All code is released under Apache 2.0; Python is the primary reference-implementation language, with TypeScript/JavaScript via Signify-TS. The architecture targets "1-click KERI" deployment via the 5 Ws (Wallets, Witnesses, Watchers, Web, Wizards).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• KERI Suite: A growing set of open-source tools and protocols that makes secure, decentralized digital identity possible, built around KERI plus ACDC and CESR specifications.
• KERICONF
• KFMCA (KERI Foundation Market & Community Advisory)

Products and services

• KERI Suite A growing set of Apache 2.0 open-source tools and protocols that makes secure, decentralized digital identity possible, built around KERI plus ACDC and CESR specifications and targeting "1-click KERI" deployment via the 5Ws. For developers, organizations, and adopters building decentralized identity systems.
• KERI Specification v1.0 Key Event Receipt Infrastructure — the first truly fully decentralized identity system using self-certifying identifiers and cryptographic key events (Key Event Logs) to enable secure, portable, and verifiable identities across the internet with no central authority or ledger lock-in.
• ACDC Specification v1.0 Authentic Chained Data Containers — the credentialing and data-structure specification of the KERI Suite for tamper-evident verifiable credentials and chained data.
• CESR Specification v1.0 Composable Event Streaming Representation — the encoding and streaming specification of the KERI Suite for interoperable serialization across the protocol stack.
• did:webs DID Method Specification Decentralized Identifier method specification (did:webs) associated with the KERI Suite, developed under the Trust over IP framework.
• KERIpy Core Python implementation library of the KERI protocol, used as the reference implementation for developers building KERI-based decentralized identity infrastructure.
• SignifyPy Python client library for KERI-based signing and signing-agent workflows.
• KERIA KERI Agent — backend infrastructure component of the KERI Suite for running KERI signing-agent services.
• Signify-TS TypeScript/JavaScript client library for KERI-based signing and signing-agent workflows.
• Cesride CESR (Composable Event Streaming Representation) reference library implementation for interoperable serialization.
• signify-browser-extension Browser extension for the Signify client, enabling KERI-based identity operations in the browser.
• polaris-web Web-based user/admin interface application in the KERI Suite ecosystem.
• KERICONF Conference Series International open-source KERISuite Conference series (KERICONF26 in April 2026 and KERICONF27 announced), organized by the foundation to drive ecosystem adoption and contributor engagement.

Named customers13 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• GLEIF (Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024GLEIF launched vLEI services using open-source KERI and ACDC, integrating the verifiable LEI into the ISO 17442 LEI standard. GLEIF is also a legacy sponsor of the KERI Foundation. Karla McKenna (KERI Foundation advisory lead) is concurrently Managing Director, GLEIF Americas.
• Cardano FoundationflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Cardano Foundation is integrating the KERI Suite into its identity mobile wallet (Veridian SEDI reference implementation); Cardano speakers featured at KFMCA meetups. RootsID, GuildOne, and Landano are extending the integration.
• Trust over IP (ToIP) / Linux Foundation Decentralized TrustflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerToIP hosts the KERI Suite specifications (KERI v1.0, ACDC v1.0, CESR v1.0) under the Linux Foundation Decentralized Trust umbrella; ToIP Steering Committee ratified the three specifications in January 2026.
• Internet Identity Workshop (IIW)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerFoundational community venue for KERI presentations (e.g., Esteban Garcia of Trustalys presented on vLEI at IIW42).
• DICE (Digital Identity & Credential Exchange)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerRecurring partner venue referenced in the foundation's partners page.
• RootsIDcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMultiple KERI Suite projects: vLEI credential chain (DoulaID for US maternal mortality) and cross-chain identity for the Cardano ecosystem. Lead: Lance Byrd (2byrds), maintainer of signify-browser-extension and polaris-web.
• FinemaminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThailand-based R&D and pilot projects using KERI; contact Nuttawut Kongsuwan.
• healthKERIcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHealthcare-focused KERI implementation; also a 5W's project sponsor that donated KERI infrastructure code to the foundation. Contact: Jared Jeffery.
• SwitchchordminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBuilding did:webs — a KERI-based DID method specification. Contact: Cole Davis.
• Makpar CorporationminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFederal IT services firm working on internal and client-facing initiatives for the whole KERI stack. Contact: Asad Khan.
• vLEIDAminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnervLEI ecosystem builder using KERI; contact Charles Lanahan-Alex.
• Human Colossus FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUses KERI to support decentralized authentication across all projects, including OCA — which Semantic Engine (University of Guelph) implements. Contact: Paul Knowles.
• Semantic Engine (University of Guelph)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerImplements OCA from Human Colossus Foundation, including CESR elements. Contact: Carly Huitema.
• NuggetsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDecentralized identity product using KERI. Contact: Seema Khinda Johnson.
• Time SafariminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerVerifiable-credentials platform currently using VCs and planning adoption of CESR and ACDCs. Contact: Trent Larson.
• Trust Spanning Protocol Task Force (lf-toip.atlassian.net)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKERI is being designed into the Trust Spanning Protocol Task Force under ToIP. Contact: Steven Milstein.
• GuildOne Inc.minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWorking with Cardano Foundation and Landano International to integrate the KERI Suite into their use cases.
• Landano International Ltd.minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner integrating the KERI Suite into Cardano Foundation wallet use cases alongside GuildOne.
• Karla McKenna (Advisory Lead / Board Manager)flagshipOthersManaging Director GLEIF Americas and Head of Standards at GLEIF; serves on the KERI Foundation board as Market & Community / Advisory Lead and represents the foundation externally at KFMCA meetings.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• cheqd: Commercial decentralized identity network offering DID method infrastructure and payment rails for verifiable credentials. A for-profit counterpart competing for the same verifiable credential and DID infrastructure budget as KERI-based deployments.
• Dock Labs: Decentralized identity and verifiable credential platform built on a custom blockchain, competing in the same verifiable credential ecosystem as KERI-based issuers and verifiers.
• Veramo: Open-source, framework-agnostic JavaScript SDK for verifiable data and decentralized identity. Directly competes with Signify-TS/KERIpy at the developer-tooling layer for teams building decentralized identity applications.
• Indicio: Commercial decentralized identity services and infrastructure provider (originally spun out of the Sovrin ecosystem), competing for the same verifiable credential deployments in travel, government, and finance verticals.
• Trinsic: SaaS platform for issuing and verifying decentralized credentials, offering a turnkey alternative to do-it-yourself KERI deployments. Competes for the same 'easy identity' buyer that KERI's 1-click 5W's roadmap targets.

Direct peers

• Sovrin Foundation: Non-profit foundation stewarding the Sovrin self-sovereign identity network built on Hyperledger Indy — the closest direct competitor to KERI Foundation in the SSI/decentralized identity foundation space, targeting the same enterprise and government adopters.
• Decentralized Identity Foundation (DIF): Industry consortium developing foundational standards and infrastructure for decentralized identity (DIDs, verifiable credentials, secure data stores). Competes for the same ecosystem of implementers and standards-track mindshare as KERI.
• OpenWallet Foundation: Linux Foundation project stewarding open-source digital wallet interoperability, a foundational adjacent layer to KERI's Wallet component. Shares the open-governance foundation model and targets overlapping adopters.
• Trust over IP Foundation (Linux Foundation Decentralized Trust): Hosts KERI's ratified specifications under the Linux Foundation Decentralized Trust umbrella; operates as a sibling/parent open governance body for SSI standards, working on overlapping Trust Spanning Protocol and digital trust frameworks.

Broad incumbents

• Microsoft ION: Microsoft's Sidetree-based DID method running on Bitcoin, part of the broader Microsoft Entra Verified ID product. A large-institution incumbent alternative to KERI with significant existing enterprise adoption.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/KeriFoundation
• GitHubgithub.com/keri-foundation
• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLnHy2ee5UksOfPng7BGEN-XNVupzXpgSL

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about KERI Foundation